Dial 1-800-Unionism Is Not the Answer

Dial 1-800-Unionism Is Not the Answer
by Steve Early

When the history of public sector de-unionization in the Midwest is written, its sad chroniclers will begin their story in Indiana. That's where Governor Mitch Daniels paved the way, six years ago, for more recent attacks on workers' rights in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan.

Daniels, a right-wing Republican, was elected in 2004. He got plenty of help from the Republican Governors Association, which that year received $500,000 from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) as part of then-president Andy Stern's misbegotten but Obama-like embrace of bi-partisanship. (In his 2006 book, A Country That Works, Stern boasted about being the RGA's "largest contributor.")